Tuition at most Ohio universities to rise

Published: July 21, 2014 3:00 AM

Most of the universities chose to boost tuition as much as state limits would allow this year: 2 percent or $188, whichever is higher.

Some students complain that the increases are too much, but university advocates say the state's cap keeps increases to a fraction of what they were in past years.

The average tuition increase at Ohio's public universities was 9 percent from 1996 to 2006. Since 2010, the most that public schools have been able to raise tuition in a year was 3.5 percent.

The total cost of paying for college remains high in Ohio compared with public universities in other states, according to new rankings by the U.S. Department of Education.

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The report included fees beyond tuition, which aren't regulated.

One Ohio school, Miami University, made the top 5 percent of U.S. public schools with the highest tuition, with a net cost of $24,674 a year, based on 2011 data. But on the list of schools with the highest overall costs, five Ohio schools were among the top 25.

Ohio State ranked No. 9, at $20,000 a year. The University of Cincinnati was No. 16, ahead of Kent State University (No. 19) and Ohio University (No. 22).

Although most schools boosted tuition as far as the state would let them this year, three didn't: Bowling Green State University froze tuition and fees on campus, Ohio State University kept tuition the same for in-state students, and Ohio University increased tuition by 1.5 percent.